“We reinforced the routes with the greatest demand at this time [Christmas and New Year], the operation, however still falls far short of what was registered before the pandemic”, said the company’s executive president, Ramiro Sequeira, in a message sent to workers, to which Lusa had access.

The president of the carrier also added that the operation of the Christmas and New Year period “is prepared to meet the needs” of customers who want to spend their Christmas at home, despite the restrictions imposed to contain the spread of the new coronavirus.

TAP stated that the global average load factor between May and August, when weighted with the volume of flights performed each month, was at 60 percent, that is, twenty percentage points below the global average rate of 2019, “despite the drastic reduction in the capacity realised, namely through the dynamic and systematic management of the adjustment of the operation”.

Ramiro Sequeira also recalled the latest projections of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which point to a recovery “slow and very determined by the level of confidence”, and it is expected to reach the number of passengers transported in 2019 between 2023 and 2024.